


Blackened Hearts

by joukaimokie



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:50:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joukaimokie/pseuds/joukaimokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sephiroth and Zack are sent on the fated mission to Nibelheim, but when Zack goes back to deal with the reactor himself not all goes as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blackened Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: FFVII is the property of Square Enix and I am making no money off this story.

Each drop was like a gunshot. It slammed against the windows, splattering against the panes and it shook slightly. It was because of that that he couldn’t sleep, that and the fact that not everyone was inside. A sigh escaped as Zack let his head drop back against the wall. Almost everyone had come back into the inn to escape the downpour. 

Almost. 

Even with mako enhanced sight Zack had to squint to see the figure in the rain. He had been that way since the return from the reactor, since they had seen those monsters. Zack lifted his head and let it thump back against the wall. He wanted to help him but he had tried earlier. Sephiroth never recoiled from him, but he had that time. 

But he had to go out. He couldn’t let him stay out there. 

Zack pushed himself off the wall and hurried down the steps. He gave the inn keeper a wave as he hurried out into the rain. The cold pelting sent a shiver through his body as he stepped forward. Words of feeling were never used lightly in the army, but Zack could honestly say he loved the man. After Angeal he had finally had a chance to see the man underneath that armor. 

“Seph? Seph!” 

The rain continued to pound down as eyes searched out, trying to find where the man had gone. Boots crushed into the mud as Zack continued across the ground. He wrapped his hands around bare arms as he walked further and then finally saw him. 

His face was cast downwards and the clothing stuck to his body, mud sloshed up over his boots and the long hair had taken on a dingy darker grey from the water that drenched it. It hung in a scraggly mess over his shoulders, a far cry from the magnificence of the great General. 

“Seph!” 

Zack didn’t pause to worry about how it would look, just ran into his arms and pressed his face against the strong chest. His skin was cold to touch, almost seeming to match the color. “Come on Seph... let’s go inside, please?” 

The mako blue eyes looked up as he took in the face. “I don’t know what you’re so scared of, but can we go?” 

Sephiroth gave the briefest of nods as Zack breathed in relief and took the wrist, pulling him in the direction of the inn. The boots sunk into the mud with each step and slid slightly, the squish sound barely heard in the rain. Feet were stomped as the door shut and Zack felt more than saw the eyes on them, whispers about mud being dragged in. 

Zack ignored them as he continued to pull the General up the steps. Not a word was said as he shoved Sephiroth towards the room and began to undo his coat. There was a sudden squeak and Zack frowned. 

“Hey Spiky! Get me a towel!”

Cloud stared from his bed for a moment and then jumped up and ran towards the steps. Standing beside him Zack pulled the wet coat from his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. “Come on Seph... you’re not invincible.” 

“But I am not normal either.” 

“What’s all this about?” Zack tilted his head as he looked down at the General. He had been rambling about something like that in the reactor too, about how normal SOLDIERs like Zack were still human. He had shoved him away when he tried to help but not this time. 

“Zack! Here’s a towel!” 

“Thanks Spiky,” Zack turned and took the towel before he placed it on Sephiroth’s head and dried it a little. He could feel Cloud’s eyes on them and he wanted to say something but what could he say? He didn’t even know what was going on and what wouldn’t cause a panic in Cloud’s eyes?

No, he couldn’t say anything, not when he wasn’t sure he could not panic himself. Seph wasn’t himself. The hands continued to work over the long hair and he looked down as the General seemed to stare straight ahead. 

“Seph... talk to me... please,” Zack knelt down to look into those empty green eyes and rested one hand on his leg. It was hard watching him like this, knowing that there was nothing he could say or do that would really help him. 

The eyes lifted slightly over Zack’s shoulder and he turned around to see Cloud there. “Hey Spiky! You mind heading out for a bit. Call Midgar, tell ‘em we found the problem, or visit your mom...”

Cloud nearly jumped as the blue eyes shifted from one of his superior officers to the other. He took a step back as he nodded. “Um... yes! I mean... yes sirs!” 

He backed away and Zack stood up and continued to dry the long hair. “Okay sir start talking. What’s going on in that brain of yours? And get those clothes off. You’re gonna freeze to death.” 

“I am not normal, I was never a normal SOLDIER, and my mother’s name on that door... I am a monster like them.” 

Zack’s hand was brought up and he smacked his palm against his forehead with a loud smack. “Oy! First Genesis then Angeal and now you? Okay, when are you going to get it through your heads that you’re not monsters!” 

“Stop Zack.” 

Zack gave a frustrated growl as he stood up and leaned forward. There was a brush of the lips but he was slightly taken aback by how cold Sephiroth’s skin was. “You’re cold. That’s human enough Seph.” 

Hands dropped and he undid the pants, every inch of his skin like an icicle. “Come on Seph; help me out a little will you?” 

A hand reached out and suddenly caught Zack’s wrist. He pulled it up away from his pants as his gaze lifted up. His touch was as cold as his lips had been, frozen to the touch. He had never seen Sephiroth anything like this, and even though he didn’t want to admit it, it scared him. 

“I will warm my own body. It would not do for the young cadet to see that.”

“Forget it Seph! Cloud will get it, okay!” Zack’s shoulders hunched slightly as a groan escaped and he tried to yank his arm away from Sephiroth. “You’re gonna die if you don’t get warmed up.” 

“No. I will not.” 

Zack growled however Sephiroth did not release his grip. He sat there unmoving and stared past Zack as the other gripped his shoulder. “Seph!” 

He was frustrated, more than frustrated, and Zack moved his hand from the shoulder to pull at the button in order to remove the wet pants. Sephiroth had come to some sort of conclusion there in that reactor and it had shaken him. The idea alone scared Zack. As long as he had known Sephiroth the man could not be shaken by anything. 

Zack groaned and gave up on the pants as he reached around. One arm wrapped around Sephiroth’s neck and he pressed his body against him. The skin that was against his own was cold but that was the last thing Zack cared about at the moment. The big thing was getting Sephiroth to tell him what was wrong and warm his body. 

He needed to make sure he would recover but first he had to get him to talk and that was like pulling teeth from a behemoth without getting touched. Zack’s initial touch had seemed to fail but once Sephiroth released his arm that made him a little more positive that he might succeed. 

Beneath his body there was a slight shift and the tangled silver hair shifted slightly as Sephiroth lifted his head. Lips parted for a moment as if trying to speak and then stopped. Slowly he stood up and Zack pulled away enough for Sephiroth to move. 

The remainder of the wet clothing was stripped and there was a slight movement towards the covers. Zack’s hands worked at the long hair as Sephiroth moved, his frozen body under the blankets.

Sephiroth would be okay, he just needed rest. Or at least that’s what he told himself. 

 

When Cloud had joined ShinRa he had had high hopes of becoming a SOLDIER and seeing the world. It had been all he had dreamt of but this wasn’t it. Standing in the inn of his hometown stood his hero, the great General, unmoving from his position by the window. 

He wanted to help but there was nothing he could do. Zack was strangely quiet about what had happened but it wasn’t like he had asked either. All he could do that he knew of was watch the man that he had idolized for so long. He was a hero, but at the moment he didn’t look it. 

It was too quiet, Zack giving orders every now and again, but it was still quiet. He wasn’t stupid. He knew something had happened. It had been ever since they had left the reactor. He had asked questions along the way but Sephiroth quickly settled into a silence that seemed to encompass the group. 

And then Zack had pulled him out of the rain. 

“Spiky!” 

Cloud jumped as Zack’s voice loudly interrupted his thoughts. He stuttered for a minute from the shock as he turned back. “Yes Zack?” 

“Keep an eye on him. I’m gonna get rid of those monsters that we came here for,” Zack reached out and mussed Cloud’s hair before he turned towards the other. Cloud took a step back but was reluctant to leave, even when Zack swooped around with his trademark grin. 

Zack leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to the lips of the General and for a moment Cloud felt guilty standing there and watching such an obviously personal moment. He shifted slightly in his position but didn’t tear his eyes away from his superior officers as Zack’s fingers buried into the long hair. They ran through them as another kiss was given, short and repetitive. 

Cloud felt his cheeks burn and he finally forced himself to turn away. He knew he shouldn’t be watching it but it had been hard not to. Cloud could hear the shifting of bodies and the echo of footsteps as Zack suddenly grabbed his shoulder. 

“Sorry bout that Spiky, guess I got kinda carried away.” 

Cloud just gave a mute nod as his cheeks burned. “Is he going to be okay?” 

“Sure thing Spiky!” Zack laughed as he patted Cloud’s back. “Seph will be just fine after all this is over.”

The hand patted Cloud’s back again before he turned back towards the steps and hurried down. For the first time Sephiroth’s eyes moved away from the window and for that moment it seemed as if nothing was wrong, as if he had returned as he had been. 

But Cloud knew better. He had seen the way he responded enough for the past several days to know that as soon as Zack left Sephiroth would turn away and stare back towards Mount Nibel. Whatever had happened in that reactor neither of them were talking about it. 

Cloud looked up at a familiar sounding ring and Sephiroth reached down for his PHS and snapped it open without pause. “Sephiroth speaking.” 

He paused for a moment, his back to Cloud and the next words were even, no sign of any emotion. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Cloud knew better. 

“Understood. I will send a member of the party to meet you shortly.” 

The PHS was snapped shut and without another word Sephiroth turned towards Cloud. “Several individuals sent by ShinRa to aid in the mission have arrived. You will meet them by the entrance to the town and bring them here.” 

“Yes sir,” Cloud turned around and hurried down the steps. In the back of his mind he wondered if it was the right choice. Zack had told him to watch Sephiroth but the General outranked Zack. Either way he was disobeying a superior officer. 

But when he thought about it, it was safer for his career and his head to obey Sephiroth. 

With that he rushed down the steps and headed towards the door. 

 

The reactor was just as it had been, eerily silent, the glow of the tanks and the dark red of the reactor the only lights before him. Monsters... 

The same thing Sephiroth thought he was. SOLDIERs were monsters; that was the only thing that was clear. He told himself that Sephiroth had come to that conclusion too and that was what put him into that mindset. 

He really was an idiot. Whatever had set Seph off was bigger than he would probably be able to imagine. The best thing to do was finish the mission and haul ass out of that town. It had Sephiroth bugged if the conversation on that first night was any indication and it was pretty obvious that Cloud didn’t want to be there either. 

Zack sighed as he glanced up towards the door marked with the name of Sephiroth’s mother. It took everything in him not to turn around and grab Seph and make a run from ShinRa with him. 

He laughed to himself at that thought. 

How pathetic, acting like some knight like in the old stories he heard when he was a kid, ready to sweep the princess off her feet and carry her to his kingdom to live happily ever after. If Seph ever found out his mind had compared him to a needy damsel he would lose his head in a matter of seconds with a single swipe of the Masamune.

Zack scratched his head before it finally settled on him. He knew what he had to do. He reached back and his fingers wrapped around the Buster Sword and yanked it up. The other hand moved to the hilt as well as Zack started on the first tank. 

The glass exploded under the brunt of the impact and mako rushed out from inside, dumping the first monster to the ground. As long as he fought and killed them they wouldn’t be around to attack. They wouldn’t be able to be there and remind Sephiroth of what they all were. 

Every single one of them were monsters, just like Angeal and Genesis. 

Bodies fell to the blade of the Buster Sword and the mako flooded around his feet as they twisted and died under his attack. He had to get rid of the reactor, had to find out what it was that had done this to Seph and destroy it.

A breath escaped as Zack stomped through the area and his boots sank into the liquid. He didn’t care, just as long as Sephiroth was safe from whatever it was in here that had put him into that state. The tip of the Buster Sword hit the ground as Zack leaned forward and let his head rest against the hilt. He knew he shouldn’t be using the Buster Sword like this. It was dishonorable, but at that moment he didn’t give a damn. 

Those monsters wouldn’t want to live, or at least that’s what he told himself. It made him feel better about it at least that he could rationalize it. He went back to work until the last monster twisted and screamed as it died. He had to do this to save Seph, Angeal would get that. 

All that was left was the door, and slowly Zack pulled himself up the steps and stopped just before the giant door. He took a breath as he looked up at it and pressed a gloved hand to it. Whatever was behind the door he had to stop this before it consumed Sephiroth. The Buster Sword was hefted up and Zack slammed the blade through the door. The wood and metal cracked and splintered as finally it broke open and Zack was able to look inside for the first time. 

It felt cold and the chill seemed to penetrate even his bones. There was only one thing to call it, evil. The place felt like pure evil and it took every bit of courage not to turn around and run back to the inn. Eyes moved up the stairs and landed on the mask, its lifeless eyes seemed to watch him and his blood ran cold. 

 

It was expected when a figure in infantry armor appeared instead of Sephiroth but still a great nuisance. When the order came through no one had jumped to take it but it didn’t change the fact that it had to be done. Duty was first but that didn’t change the fact that no one wanted such a rough and risky assignment. Assassination of two first classes, there were so many ways it could be botched, and it would be their heads assuming they survived. The challenge lay in catching them off guard; of managing to stay alive long enough to properly kill them. 

When the order had come through however it froze everyone who saw it. It had been expected, they couldn’t leave him alive to defect like Genesis and Angeal, and Zack Fair knew too much. They both did, this was to be the mission no one returned from. 

“Sir,” Cloud brought his hand up in a salute as he looked up at the suited man. No sign was given on Tseng’s face of the implications of what they had to do. “The General is waiting back at the inn; I can show you.” 

That made it easier. They could end his life here away from witnesses. There was no need to risk returning to the town with him where they could be spotted ending this. They would already need to find the way to do what no one had ever managed to accomplish. They needed to kill the great General without alerting anyone or dying themselves. A battle would be noticed. It had to be quick and deadly without the notice of the enhanced SOLDIER senses. 

He was a professional however the thought of such a difficult mark thrilled a part of him. It was that core that made him a TURK and this was a challenge unlike any other, beyond anything training had prepared them for. 

“Go,” he said and Cloud turned from him and dark eyes searched the area. Shotgun was somewhere, watching for the perfect moment. The body would be disposed of where it would never be found. She would find that perfect spot that would kill him long before he could fight back. A simple infantryman was no match for the hunter. 

The bullet cracked through the air and seemed to explode from a distance, too fast for any to avoid, certainly not a simple boy. There was no pain; he didn’t have time to feel anything once the bullet struck. There was nothing as his body fell with a heavy lifeless thump. Tseng didn’t any more than glance at the body as he walked past. 

“Reno, dispose of the body. Cissnei, take Katana with you. Search out and dispose of Zack Fair. Gun, you are with me, the rest of you will be expected to act when called upon.” 

“Sure thing boss,” Reno knelt down and shot the body a look before he hefted it up. “Always the dirty jobs…” he muttered under his breath. 

 

It was eerily quiet and Zack took a slow breath as he climbed the steps. He didn’t know what he was looking for, what he would find there, but there had to be some sort of answer. There had to be some reason why the name of Sephiroth’s mother was there. The white mask stared down at him and lips parted as he stared up towards it. 

A chill passed through his spine and he was reluctant to move as if something somewhere held him back. Zack drew in a breath as he shook it off and stepped closer. The pristine mask stared down at him and Zack took a step closer, climbing the steps. 

He had to know what it was, what about this place had done those things to Sephiroth. 

There was no answer, there wouldn’t be, all that remained was the question of what it was that had done this to him. This wasn’t the Sephiroth he knew. 

Zack took the steps several at a time and then froze. The metal sculpture stood above the tank, like some all-powerful matriarch. A shudder spread through his spine as slowly he took a step forward. He didn’t know what it was but the cold that ran through his body was making it blatantly clear that it was bad. So beautiful and divine but at the same time his stomach twisted just looking at it. It felt evil to the core. Zack reached out to touch it. It was cold, even through the thick fabric of his gloves. 

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong and somewhere deep there was an echo of a whisper; unintelligible words reached his mind, calling to him. The whispers echoed, they surrounded him with the bitter cold and Zack took a step back. Fingers closed around the edge of the metal and Zack shuddered as he felt the power beneath it. He gave a hard yank and the metal pulled away and what he saw made his stomach lurch. 

Could this thing have been human once? 

Jenova... Sephiroth’s mother... they had experimented on her. That had to be it. Zack took a cautious step forward as he stared at the figure. 

“What did ShinRa do?”

He stared at the bluish skin and the growths over her body as he shuddered. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a shallow breath as he brought his hand up to his mouth. Whatever she was now, it wasn’t human. He had to make sure Seph never saw this, any of it. He was so close to breaking already and this would just shatter him. 

It wasn’t his choice to hide this but Zack knew deep down that he could never let Sephiroth know. His control was fragile and he knew that he would shatter if he ever found out. Zack shuddered slightly at the thought and his chest clenched. For Seph’s own good he had to keep this a secret. Slowly he pulled away from the glass and began to turn. The sound of displaced air was the only warning he had. 

The shuriken sliced through the air and Zack jerked out of the way. His hand was on the Buster Sword in an instant, the only guard against the blade that sliced towards him. He stumbled slightly as he held the oversize weapon in a guard position over his back. “I guess they really are putting me out to pasture.” 

The blue eyes flickered back towards them as his glared settled steadily. “I never thought you’d be the one Cissnei,” he said as Zack shifted his shoulder. The Buster Sword smashed against the weapon that had been blocked and knocked Katana back. 

“If you surrender-“ 

“Then what?” Zack’s eyes flashed between the two as he took a shallow breath. It had finally happened, just like ShinRa had ordered him to kill Angeal and Genesis, they were ordered to kill him. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head as the Buster Sword was hefted before him. “If you’re going to kill me then do it! Don’t pretend like you’re not going to follow orders!” 

All that mattered was the orders, and he would die because of them, just like Angeal had to die. Zack clenched his eyes shut and one gloved hand motioned Cissnei and Katana forward. “You think you can kill me?” Slowly the corners of his mouth forced into the familiar grin. “I’d love to see you try.” 

 

Sephiroth heard the creak of the floorboards and the muffled sounds that indicated a falling of a body long before he saw the figures. Long fingers curled around the hilt of the Masamune and the weapon was lifted from the bed. An attack? Certainly no one would be stupid enough. 

The long hair shifted as he moved and eyes flickered across the hallway. He could move; whoever they were would be dead long before they even knew what hit them. They had stepped into the lair of a monster, for that was what he had been created to be just like Angeal and Genesis. Or he could remain; he could let this continue without even an attempt to stop it. 

For a hero that would make him equally a monster. 

There would be no escape to be had nor did he search for one. He understood the truth now, even as he cast Genesis away, told him to rot. He was the same monster. They had abandoned him, but he was the one blind enough to be used. 

The creaking of the floorboards came closer and Sephiroth paused for the moment as he moved forward. The blade of the Masamune was flipped easily into a guard position as he strode forward and stopped at the steps. Eyes focused forward on the figures at the bottom and the weapon was slowly lowered. There would be only one reason to send the Turks, only one reason to kill the inn keeper. The Masamune glinted slightly as he drew it up across his body and the narrowed pupils focused on those there. 

This was a useless battle. He would win this one but he could never return. They would hunt them down. Sooner or later they would die and he would have dragged Zack into this. No longer was he their great General but one of the hunted. How long before he reached the same end as Angeal? Without him perhaps Zack could escape. The first bullet was like an explosion and the sparks flashed as it collided with the long blade. The bullets ricocheted from it and ripped into the wood. Green eyes flickered towards the other figure as more bullets were clipped off. 

He knew he had to time this exactly and believe in the skills of those sent after him. 

Sephiroth moved forward between Tseng and Gun and the tip of the blade pressed through her chest. There was barely any resistance against his strength and she gave a strangled cry. He didn’t care about the bullets that rained on him. Pain shot through his body. It was burning and he nearly stumbled as the blade sliced easily through the air. Sephiroth took in a raspy breath as he moved. He buried the blade deep into Two Guns. The blood dripped off the glinting metal as the bullets continued to strike him. 

The final bit of pain was the knife that came across his throat. It ripped into the pale skin as he hit the ground. Sephiroth’s lips parted in a barely managed whisper, the silver hair stained red in the pool of blood. 

“Zack… I’m sorry…” 

 

He hated doing it but he had to. He had no choice at this point. It was either him or them. Zack shook his head as he hefted the Buster Sword onto his back once again. He had done what he could, left them with hopefully just concussions, and torn out of there. The trip was long, too long. It seemed to take hours to get back to town from Mount Nibel. When he got there Zack panted heavily and eyes cast around. Nothing…. 

The town was eerily quiet. 

The lump seemed to settle in his throat and he drew in a shallow breath. Silence was a bad thing, especially given the middle of the day. A part of him told him to run but he couldn’t. The same thing held him back from racing into the inn. ShinRa had come to get him; they had probably tried to get Seph too. Zack’s mind could already fill in the blanks. Hands clenched into fists and he shook his head as he surged forward. He had to push his way through the gathered crowd and what he saw on the floor ripped his heart out. 

The pain was as real as if someone had carved into him with a blade and an inhuman cry was released. He didn’t care anymore; he shoved the people out of the way, even those bent over the body. He was deaf to any of their words as he knelt down. The red blood coated his hands and Zack buried his face into the stained hair. There were no words for this pain. 

He stroked the long hair and eyes clenched shut. He yanked off the gloves to stroke his face. Calloused fingers ran over the pale skin, cool to the touch. His skin was cold, even paler than usual. The lump welled before it finally formed into a strangled sound as he dampened the hair under his face. Zack could hear someone talking to him; they were trying to take Seph away from him. 

Zack just clung tighter until no human would be able to break his grip. No, he couldn’t let them take Seph from him. He stroked the smooth strands as the sobs continued to well up and emerge uncontrolled. Just like Angeal he was gone, had been ripped away from him, only there would be nobody to give him any comfort this time. 

He didn’t care how much time had passed, how many people stood there and watched him. He didn’t know when people had started to disperse. He just clung to Sephiroth every time someone tried to separate them. Every one of them might have been his enemies. ShinRa had already taken him from him; there was nothing else he could do. Zack lifted one hand and slowly stroked the silver strands. He moved slightly and kissed the top of his head. It didn’t matter how cold or lifeless he was in his arms. He slowly looked down at him and one hand lifted. Slowly Zack pressed his fingers against the eyelids and shut them in order to block out the dead lifeless green that stared unmoving. 

Zack slid one arm underneath his legs and slowly he lifted the body. He wanted him to move, wanted him to fight being lifted like that, but there was nothing. There was just Seph in his arms, unmoving. He stumbled forward and eyes flickered as a man grabbed at his arm. 

“Sir, what are you doing? You can’t just take a body like that!” 

The blue eyes landed with a glare. Deep down Zack knew that if he could see himself he would wonder where he had gone to. But he couldn’t, and even if he could it didn’t matter. No one was going to take Seph from him. “Get out of the way.” 

His own voice was hollow to his ears and he pulled Sephiroth’s body slightly against his chest. Feet dragged and his body felt heavy as eyes finally lingered on the rest of the room. He recognized the Turk uniform, two of them on the ground. None of it made any sense. Seph was stronger than any number of Turks. Zack shut his eyes as his throat tightened and he took a shallow breath. His chest tightened as he looked around. 

The Masamune… where was it? 

Zack took in the room, the blood spattered around and pooled on the floor. He opened his mouth to ask but the sound came out hoarse as if he had forgotten how to use his voice before he spoke again against the tightness. “His sword… where’s his sword? Did somebody move it?” 

“It has been moved, we were trying to clean up the bodies…” 

Zack turned towards the man that spoke. He knew they hadn’t done anything wrong but the company had taken so much from him. His chest tightened and he held the body closer to his body as if the warmth of his own would someone sprout life inside the man. “I want his sword; bring it outside.” 

He half stumbled as he made it outside. People stared at him with looks of a mix of fear, curiosity, and disgust at the body in his arms. Zack held him closer as he moved numbly. What could he do? His feet dragged towards the edge of the town and sank down against the fence. He couldn’t just wander around. He had to get out of there, far away where ShinRa couldn’t find them, couldn’t use his body for their experiments. He wouldn’t let them touch him. 

He just needed to wait for the Masamune, he needed the blade. And Cloud? What had happened to Cloud? Zack felt the discomfort grow in his chest as he thought back to the scene. The inn keeper was missing, Cloud was missing, and Seph was dead. Deep down he knew what had happened even though he didn’t want to believe it. They wouldn’t have left him alone. A hand went up to his face and a strangled cry escaped before he buried his face back in the hair. The Turks didn’t leave anyone alive, Cloud would be no exception. The sounds emerged from his lips before he looked up towards the sky and gave a loud yell that could only be considered the truest pain he had ever felt. 

ShinRa would die for what they had done. He would make them hurt like this. Angeal, Seph, Cloud… all of them were gone. In their place was emptiness filled with hate for the company that made it happen. Zack clutched tightly to Sephiroth as he shook his head. He had to focus, had to survive so he could make them pay. He stroked the hair and took a shallow breath as he waited.

“Sir?” 

Zack blinked and slowly he lifted his head as a man stood over him and he unwrapped a cloth to reveal the long blade of the Masamune. Some blood stained it, unpolished, Zack reached out to touch it but then his hand recoiled from the cloth-wrapped handle. He wanted this to be just a nightmare, wanted to wake up in his own bed, but it wasn’t happening. A white sheet was dropped over his arms and Zack blinked up at him blearily. 

“I’m not going to stop you, figure you ShinRa guys got your reasons,” the man said with a shrug. “We’re not stupid enough to not know who he is, so just do what you got to do.” 

Zack swallowed hard as he nodded his head. Slowly he lowered Sephiroth down to the ground and spread out the sheet. “I don’t know this place… but I need a place to bury him, someplace they’ll never find,” Zack said as he lowered his head. Slowly the man gave a nod as Zack moved Sephiroth to the sheet. Fingers moved and straighten out the hair in order to rest naturally and wrapped the sheet tightly. 

“There’s a place in the southeast, a lake surrounded by cliffs. It would be a near impossible climb, but if you can make it…” 

Zack nodded as he stood and lifted Sephiroth once more into his arms. It was be the safest place to go. He shifted his shoulders and grabbed the Masamune in both his hands and held the wrapped weapon next to Sephiroth’s body. He’d need a shovel and to make sure this wasn’t some trap. What if ShinRa was paying the man? He shook his head at the thought. If it was a trap ShinRa would have already been there. 

They weren’t coming, not yet, but they would. He needed to move. 

 

When the man had told him that there were cliffs surrounding it he hadn’t mentioned that he would have to climb it without any paths. The fact that it wasn’t worn was proof that no one had been there in a long time. When he arrived Zack gave a breath of relief. It was the perfect place. Zack skidded down slightly and jumped down. He landed on his feet and checked the ground to find a soft patch. Sore shoulders stretched and he slowly lowered Sephiroth to the ground. Fingers grabbed the edge of the sheet and lightly touched Sephiroth’s cold lips. He had grown even paler over the time it took to reach the spot; the blood still stained his skin and clothing. He couldn’t do anything about that now. 

Zack picked up the shovel and stuck the spade into the earth hard. His chest clenched with each ragged breath. It matched each pile of dirt he dumped to the side as he worked to make the hole big enough. One arm reached up and he tried to wipe the sweat from his face as fresh tears stung his eyes and threatened to fall. It grew harder with each pile that was yanked out of the earth. 

If this was a nightmare it was a living one. He hadn’t searched for Cloud’s body but he knew the Turks. He would never find it and that made it worse. Like with Angeal, there would never be a body. As the hole grew muscles burned and matched the stinging of his eyes. Hands shook with each movement and the pain seemed as if it would never end. He just continued to dig until it was deep enough to suit him. Blue eyes stared down into the empty grave and drew in a ragged breath. 

Zack yanked himself up and then leaned over Sephiroth. His skin was pale against the white of the sheet, his clothing even darker where the blood stained it. He seemed completely at peace, the spun silver strands of hair easily rested in place. The pain clenched at his throat and Zack leaned down for a single brush of lips. The mouth didn’t respond as it once had, the lips cold against his own. If he could only somehow will him back to life it would be alright. He wanted to feel that warm breath against his own. 

But Zack knew it would never come, something even more positive as he finally forced himself to draw away from that last kiss. One hand reached down and he brushed his hair to the side before he jerked away. It was too much. The body was wrapped tightly once more and Zack lifted him and jumped into the hole. 

It took some maneuvering but finally he lowered Sephiroth against the ground and pulled himself back up. The sounds came again as the dirt was replaced slowly. Each shovel was harder than the last and he shuddered as it seemed to grow heavier as the white of the sheet disappeared slowly beneath the dirt. His chest tightened as the dirt was cleared out and sunk to the ground. Zack buried his face into his hands and left the dirty streaks there. 

So many were gone, so many that he cared for ShinRa had ripped away from him. First Angeal, now Sephiroth and Cloud. He didn’t want to move from this place, almost wished he could curl up and join them in the lifestream. Zack pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them as he rested his head against his knees. No one was there this time and the blow hit even harder. With Angeal he had others to lean on. He had Cloud, and Aerith and Cissnei, and Seph.

But now he was alone, he couldn’t go back to Midgar, Cissnei had been sent to kill him, and Cloud and Sephiroth were gone. He let his hand drop and touched the dirt. He could’ve saved him, if he had just gotten back faster. Deep down Zack knew it wasn’t the truth; he had been gone long enough that even a few minutes wouldn’t have made a difference. He had left him alone. 

Slowly Zack stripped off his clothes and dumped them in the water. The clearness of it growing tinged with the red of blood and he slid into the cool water. He didn’t care how cold it was; he just had to get cleaned up. He was just so numb, encompassed by the sheer pain. He sank down into the water and stared down as he rubbed at the blood on his hands and arms. 

He couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but stand there in the cool water. 

 

Zack didn’t know how long he had stayed in the water, long enough for a shiver to finally reach him when he pulled out. The clothing had been left out to dry as he yanked himself up from the water. He felt the clothes to find them still quite wet and curled up slightly next to the grave. Slowly a sigh escaped and he clenched his eyes shut. He needed to move, needed to do something. Zack groaned and pushed himself up. 

He reached out and unwrapped the Masamune. Eyes lingered on the blade and his fingers moved over the fabric of the hilt. He rubbed the cloth over the blade and cleaned the blood from it. It smeared over the sheet until the blade shone again unstained. Zack’s head dropped and lifted the blade. He held it tightly in both hands and rested his cheek against the cool metal. 

“Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost. Wings stripped away, the end is nigh.” 

Zack let go of the hilt and in an instant was on his feet. He turned around and eyes bored into Genesis as he took a shallow breath. He was the one, the one that told Seph those things. He called him a monster. Zack’s heart clenched as he took a step back. 

“What do you want Genesis! Did you come to mock me, or are you here to get revenge for Angeal?” He knew what he wanted, what he needed. ShinRa had taken everything from him and now even Seph was gone. He was going to leave ShinRa and they had killed him instead. He took in a ragged gasp and Zack dropped his head. His hands clenched into fists as he swallowed hard. “Do it Genesis! Kill me!” 

He wanted revenge, he wanted ShinRa to pay for what they had done, but he was tired, tired of the pain. He was tired of fighting people like Genesis. And was he really wrong? Genesis was right to destroy ShinRa for everything they had done. Zack looked up as the red head landed and the blade tip pressed against his throat. 

“Fight, I will not be your murderer.” 

Zack felt his mouth go dry. He couldn’t fight anymore, couldn’t kill Genesis when all he wanted was the same thing. He wanted ShinRa to pay, so why bother to stop him? He didn’t want to, he wanted them to pay for everything just like he did. 

“No,” Zack said as he shook his head in response. Blue eyes locked on Genesis as he glanced down the sword towards Genesis. “You want ShinRa to pay right?” Zack took a shallow breath as the sword was lowered. 

“What do you know of my reasons?” 

Zack swallowed hard as he tried to force the lump in his throat. “They took them from me. They took Angeal and Cloud. They took Seph… they murdered him!” Slowly he lowered himself and hands wrapped around the Masamune. “They took him from me,” he whispered and stared down at the long blade in his hands. 

“Help me make them pay and I’ll do whatever you want.” 

Genesis paused for a moment and studied Zack before slowly a hand was placed out towards him and stared down at the long blade. “Of the three friends only one remains,” slowly Genesis’ eyes met Zack’s and a smile twisted his lips. “They shall be punished.”


End file.
